Evolution of distal limb perfusion management in adult peripheral venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with femoral artery cannulation.

Limb ischaemia is a clinically relevant complication of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) with femoral artery cannulation. No selective distal perfusion or other advanced techniques were used in the past to maintain adequate distal limb perfusion. A more recent trend is the shift from the reactive or emergency management to the pro-active or prophylactic placement of a distal perfusion cannula to avoid or reduce limb ischaemia-related complications. Multiple alternative cannulation techniques to the distal perfusion cannula have been developed to maintain distal limb perfusion, including end-to-side grafting, external or endovascular femoro-femoral bypass, retrograde limb perfusion (e.g., via the posterior tibial, dorsalis pedis or anterior tibial artery), and, more recently, use of a bidirectional cannula. Venous congestion has also been recognized as a potential contributing factor to limb ischaemia development and specific techniques have been described with facilitated venous drainage or bilateral cannulation being the most recent, to reduce or avoid venous stasis as a contributor to impaired limb perfusion. Advances in monitoring techniques, such as near-infrared spectroscopy and duplex ultrasound analysis, have been applied to improve decision-making regarding both the monitoring and management of limb ischaemia. This narrative review describes the evolution of techniques used for distal limb perfusion during peripheral VA ECMO.

Predictors and outcomes of withholding and withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments in intensive care units in Singapore: a multicentre observational study.

BACKGROUND: Clinical practice guidelines on limitation of life-sustaining treatments (LST) in the intensive care unit (ICU), in the form of withholding or withdrawal of LST, state that there is no ethical difference between the two. Such statements are not uniformly accepted worldwide, and there are few studies on LST limitation in Asia. This study aimed to evaluate the predictors and outcomes of withholding and withdrawal of LST in Singapore, focusing on the similarities and differences between the two approaches. METHODS: This was a multicentre observational study of patients admitted to 21 adult ICUs across 9 public hospitals in Singapore over an average of three months per year from 2014 to 2019. The primary outcome measures were withholding and withdrawal of LST (cardiopulmonary resuscitation, invasive mechanical ventilation, and vasopressors/inotropes). The secondary outcome measure was hospital mortality. Multivariable generalised mixed model analysis was used to identify independent predictors for withdrawal and withholding of LST and if LST limitation predicts hospital mortality. RESULTS: There were 8907 patients and 9723 admissions. Of the former, 80.8% had no limitation of LST, 13.0% had LST withheld, and 6.2% had LST withdrawn. Common independent predictors for withholding and withdrawal were increasing age, absence of chronic kidney dialysis, greater dependence in activities of daily living, cardiopulmonary resuscitation before ICU admission, higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, and higher level of care in the first 24 h of ICU admission. Additional predictors for withholding included being of Chinese race, the religions of Hinduism and Islam, malignancy, and chronic liver failure. The additional predictor for withdrawal was lower hospital paying class (with greater government subsidy for hospital bills). Hospital mortality in patients without LST limitation, with LST withholding, and with LST withdrawal was 10.6%, 82.1%, and 91.8%, respectively (p < 0.001). Withholding (odds ratio 13.822, 95% confidence interval 9.987-19.132) and withdrawal (odds ratio 38.319, 95% confidence interval 24.351-60.298) were both found to be independent predictors of hospital mortality on multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in the independent predictors of withholding and withdrawal of LST exist. Even after accounting for baseline characteristics, both withholding and withdrawal of LST independently predict hospital mortality. Later mortality in patients who had LST withdrawn compared to withholding suggests that the decision to withdraw may be at the point when medical futility is recognised.

Nosocomial Infections in Adults Receiving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Review for Infectious Diseases Clinicians.

Over the past ten years, there has been a rapid expansion in the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in the care of patients with refractory cardiac or respiratory failure. Infectious diseases clinicians must reconcile conflicting evidence from limited studies as they develop practices at their own institutions, which has resulted in considerably different practices globally. This review describes infection control and prevention as well as antimicrobial prophylaxis strategies in this population. Data on diagnostics and treatment for patients receiving ECMO with a focus on diagnostic and antimicrobial stewardship is then examined. This review summarizes gaps in the current ECMO literature and proposes future needs, including developing clear definitions for infections and encouraging transparent reporting of practices at individual facilities in future clinical trials.

Age and associated outcomes among patients receiving venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for acute respiratory failure: analysis of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry.

PURPOSE: Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) can be used to support patients with refractory acute respiratory failure, though guidance on patient selection is lacking. While age is commonly utilized as a factor in establishing the potential VV-ECMO candidacy of these patients, little is known regarding its association with outcome. We studied the association between increasing patient age and outcomes among patients with acute respiratory failure receiving VV-ECMO. METHODS: In this registry-based cohort study, we used individual patient data from 144 centres. We included adult patients (≥ 18 years of age) receiving VV-ECMO from 2017 to 2022. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included a composite of complications following initiation of VV-ECMO. We conducted Bayesian analyses to estimate the association between chronological age and outcomes. RESULTS: We included 27,811 patients receiving VV-ECMO. Of these, 11,533 (41.5%) died in hospital. For the analysis conducted using weakly informed priors, and as compared to the reference category of age 18-29, the age brackets of 30-39 (odds ratio [OR] 1.17, 95% credible interval [CrI] 1.06-1.31), 40-49 (OR 1.65, 95% CrI 1.49-1.82), 50-59 (OR 2.39, 95% CrI 2.16-2.61), 60-69 (OR 3.29, 95% CrI 2.97-3.67), 70-79 (OR 4.57, 95% CrI 3.90-5.37), and ≥ 80 (OR 8.08, 95% CrI 4.85-13.74) were independently associated with increasing hospital mortality. Similar results were found between increasing age and post-ECMO complications. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients receiving VV-ECMO for acute respiratory failure, increasing age is significantly associated with poorer outcomes, and this association emerges as early as 30 years of age.

Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry International Report 2022: 100,000 Survivors.

The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) maintains the world's largest extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) registry by volume, center participation, and international scope. This 2022 ELSO Registry Report describes the program characteristics of ECMO centers, processes of ECMO care, and reported outcomes. Neonates (0-28 days), children (29 days-17 years), and adults (≥18 years) supported with ECMO from 2009 through 2022 and reported to the ELSO Registry were included. This report describes adjunctive therapies, support modes, treatments, complications, and survival outcomes. Data are presented descriptively as counts and percent or median and interquartile range (IQR) by year, group, or level. Missing values were excluded before calculating descriptive statistics. Complications are reported per 1,000 ECMO hours. From 2009 to 2022, 154,568 ECMO runs were entered into the ELSO Registry. Seven hundred and eighty centers submitted data during this time (557 in 2022). Since 2009, the median annual number of adult ECMO runs per center per year increased from 4 to 15, whereas for pediatric and neonatal runs, the rate decreased from 12 to 7. Over 50% of patients were transferred to the reporting ECMO center; 20% of these patients were transported with ECMO. The use of prone positioning before respiratory ECMO increased from 15% (2019) to 44% (2021) for adults during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Survival to hospital discharge was greatest at 68.5% for neonatal respiratory support and lowest at 29.5% for ECPR delivered to adults. By 2022, the Registry had enrolled its 200,000th ECMO patient and 100,000th patient discharged alive. Since its inception, the ELSO Registry has helped centers measure and compare outcomes across its member centers and strategies of care. Continued growth and development of the Registry will aim to bolster its utility to patients and centers.

Mechanical circulatory support for cardiogenic shock: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and propensity score-matched studies.

PURPOSE: Cardiogenic shock is associated with high mortality. In refractory shock, it is unclear if mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices improve survival. We conducted a network meta-analysis to determine which MCS devices confers greatest benefit. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases through 27 August 2023 for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and propensity score-matched studies (PSMs). We conducted frequentist network meta-analysis, investigating mortality (either 30 days or in-hospital) as the primary outcome. We assessed risk of bias (Cochrane risk of bias 2.0 tool/Newcastle-Ottawa Scale) and as sensitivity analysis reconstructed survival data from published survival curves for a one-stage unadjusted individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis using a stratified Cox model. RESULTS: We included 38 studies (48,749 patients), mostly reporting on patients with Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention shock stages C-E cardiogenic shock. Compared with no MCS, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with intra-aortic balloon pump (ECMO-IABP; network odds ratio [OR]: 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.33-0.86, moderate certainty) was associated with lower mortality. There were no differences in mortality between ECMO, IABP, microaxial ventricular assist device (mVAD), ECMO-mVAD, centrifugal VAD, or mVAD-IABP and no MCS (all very low certainty). Our one-stage IPD survival meta-analysis based on the stratified Cox model found only ECMO-IABP was associated with lower mortality (hazard ratio, HR, 0.55, 95% CI 0.46-0.66). CONCLUSION: In patients with cardiogenic shock, ECMO-IABP may reduce mortality, while other MCS devices did not reduce mortality. However, this must be interpreted within the context of inter-study heterogeneity and limited certainty of evidence.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation-Dependent Fulminant Melioidosis From Caspase 4 Mutation Reversed by Interferon Gamma Therapy.

We describe bedside-to-bench immunological and genetic elucidation of defective pyroptosis attributable to novel caspase 4 defect mediating pathogen-triggered inflammatory programmed cell death, in the setting of severe pneumonia and abscess-forming melioidosis in an overtly healthy host failing to clear Burkholderia pseudomallei infection, and how targeted adjunctive biological therapy led to a successful outcome.

Preoperative anemia and anemia treatment in cardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of anemia and anemia severity on patient outcomes in cardiac surgery and determine whether preoperative treatments confer postoperative benefit. SOURCE: We searched four international databases for observational and randomized studies published until 1 October 2022. Study quality was assessed via Newcastle-Ottawa scores and the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias 2 tool and certainty of evidence was rated with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations approach. We conducted random-effects meta-analyses for our primary outcome of mortality, for secondary outcomes including length of stay (LOS) in the hospital and intensive care unit, and for postsurgical complications. As part of a secondary analysis, we analyzed short-term preoperative anemia treatments and conducted trial sequential analysis of randomized trials to assess the efficacy of these treatment programs. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We included 35 studies (159,025 patients) in our primary meta-analysis. Preoperative anemia was associated with increased mortality (odds ratio [OR], 2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2 to 2.9; P < 0.001, high certainty). Study-level meta-regression revealed lower hemoglobin levels and studies with lower proportions of male patients to be associated with increased risk of mortality. Preoperative anemia was also associated with an increase in LOS and postsurgical complications. Our secondary analysis (seven studies, 1,012 patients) revealed short-term preoperative anemia treatments did not significantly reduce mortality (OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.65 to 1.9; P = 0.69). Trial sequential analysis suggested that there was insufficient evidence to conclude if treatment programs yield any benefit or harm. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative anemia is associated with mortality and morbidity after cardiac surgery. More research is warranted to test the efficacy of current anemia treatment programs. STUDY REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (CRD42022319431); first submitted 17 April 2023.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Notre objectif était de mener une revue systématique et une méta-analyse pour évaluer les effets de l'anémie et de la gravité de l'anémie sur les devenirs des patient·es en chirurgie cardiaque et déterminer si les traitements préopératoires conféraient un bénéfice postopératoire. SOURCES: Nous avons réalisé des recherches dans quatre bases de données internationales pour en extraire des études observationnelles et randomisées publiées jusqu'au 1er octobre 2022. La qualité des études a été évaluée à l'aide des scores de Newcastle-Ottawa et de l'outil Cochrane 2 sur le risque de biais, et la certitude des données probantes a été évaluée selon l'approche GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations). Nous avons réalisé des méta-analyses à effets aléatoires pour notre critère d'évaluation principal de mortalité, pour les critères d'évaluation secondaires, notamment la durée du séjour à l'hôpital et à l'unité de soins intensifs, et pour les complications postopératoires. Dans le cadre d'une analyse secondaire, nous avons examiné les traitements préopératoires de l'anémie à court terme et effectué une analyse séquentielle d'études randomisées afin d'évaluer l'efficacité de ces modalités de traitement. CONSTATATIONS PRINCIPALES: Nous avons inclus 35 études portant sur 159 025 patient·es dans notre méta-analyse. L'anémie préopératoire était associée à une augmentation de la mortalité (rapport de cotes [RC], 2,5; intervalle de confiance [IC] à 95 %, 2,2 à 2,9; P < 0,001, certitude élevée). La méta-régression au niveau de l'étude a révélé que des taux d'hémoglobine plus faibles et des études avec des proportions plus faibles de patients masculins étaient associées à un risque accru de mortalité. L'anémie préopératoire était également associée à une augmentation de la durée de séjour et des complications postopératoires. Notre analyse secondaire (sept études, 1012 patient·es) a révélé que les traitements préopératoires de l'anémie à court terme ne réduisaient pas significativement la mortalité (RC, 1,1; IC 95 %, 0,65 à 1,9; P = 0,69). L'analyse séquentielle des études a suggéré qu'il n'y avait pas suffisamment de données probantes pour conclure si les modalités de traitement entraînaient un bénéfice ou un préjudice. CONCLUSION: L'anémie préopératoire est associée à la mortalité et à la morbidité après une chirurgie cardiaque. D'autres recherches sont justifiées pour tester l'efficacité des programmes actuels de traitement de l'anémie. ENREGISTREMENT DE L'éTUDE: PROSPERO (CRD42022319431); première soumission le 17 avril 2023.

Bilateral Femoral Cannulation Is Associated With Reduced Severe Limb Ischemia-Related Complications Compared With Unilateral Femoral Cannulation in Adult Peripheral Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: Results From the Extracorporeal Life Support Registry.

OBJECTIVES: Peripheral venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) with femoral access is obtained through unilateral or bilateral groin cannulation. Whether one cannulation strategy is associated with a lower risk for limb ischemia remains unknown. We aim to assess if one strategy is preferable. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study based on the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry. SETTING: ECMO centers worldwide included in the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry. PATIENTS: All adult patients (≥ 18 yr) who received peripheral venoarterial ECMO with femoral access and were included from 2014 to 2020. INTERVENTIONS: Unilateral or bilateral femoral cannulation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcome was the occurrence of limb ischemia defined as a composite endpoint including the need for a distal perfusion cannula (DPC) after 6 hours from implantation, compartment syndrome/fasciotomy, amputation, revascularization, and thrombectomy. Secondary endpoints included bleeding at the peripheral cannulation site, need for vessel repair, vessel repair after decannulation, and in-hospital death. Propensity score matching was performed to account for confounders. Overall, 19,093 patients underwent peripheral venoarterial ECMO through unilateral ( n = 11,965) or bilateral ( n = 7,128) femoral cannulation. Limb ischemia requiring any intervention was not different between both groups (bilateral vs unilateral: odds ratio [OR], 0.92; 95% CI, 0.82-1.02). However, there was a lower rate of compartment syndrome/fasciotomy in the bilateral group (bilateral vs unilateral: OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.66-0.97). Bilateral cannulation was also associated with lower odds of cannulation site bleeding (bilateral vs unilateral: OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.76-0.99), vessel repair (bilateral vs unilateral: OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.38-0.79), and in-hospital mortality (bilateral vs unilateral: OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.81-0.91) compared with unilateral cannulation. These findings were unchanged after propensity matching. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed no risk reduction for overall limb ischemia-related events requiring DPC after 6 hours when comparing bilateral to unilateral femoral cannulation in peripheral venoarterial ECMO. However, bilateral cannulation was associated with a reduced risk for compartment syndrome/fasciotomy, lower rates of bleeding and vessel repair during ECMO, and lower in-hospital mortality.

Prognostic factors associated with favourable functional outcome among adult patients requiring extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR), has demonstrated promise in the management of refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, evidence from observational studies and clinical trials are conflicting and the factors influencing outcome have not been well established. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis summarizing the association between pre-ECPR prognostic factors and likelihood of good functional outcome among adult patients requiring ECPR for OHCA. We searched Medline and Embase databases from inception to February 28, 2023 and screened studies with two independent reviewers. We performed meta-analyses of unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios, adjusted hazard ratios and mean differences separately. We assessed risk of bias using the QUIPS tool and certainty of evidence using the GRADE approach. FINDINGS: We included 29 observational and randomized studies involving 7,397 patients. Factors with moderate or high certainty of association with increased survival with favourable functional outcome include pre-arrest patient factors, such as younger age (odds ratio (OR) 2.13, 95% CI 1.52 to 2.99) and female sex (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.70), as well as intra-arrest factors, such as shockable rhythm (OR 2.79, 95% CI 2.04 to 3.80), witnessed arrest (OR 1.68 (95% CI 1.16 to 2.42), bystander CPR (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.01), return of spontaneous circulation (OR 2.81, 95% CI 2.19 to 3.61) and shorter time to cannulation (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.69 per 10 minutes). INTERPRETATION: The findings of this review confirm several clinical concepts wellestablished in the cardiac arrest literature and their applicability to the patient for whom ECPR is considered - that is, the impact of pre-existing patient factors, the benefit of timely and effective CPR, as well as the prognostic importance of minimizing low-flow time. We advocate for the thoughtful consideration of these prognostic factors as part of a risk stratification framework when evaluating a patient's potential candidacy for ECPR.

Age and associated outcomes among patients receiving venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation-analysis of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry.

PURPOSE: Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO) can be used to support severely ill patients with cardiogenic shock. While age is commonly used in patient selection, little is known regarding its association with outcomes in this population. We sought to evaluate the association between increasing age and outcomes following V-A ECMO. METHODS: We used individual-level patient data from 440 centers in the international Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry. We included all adult patients receiving V-A ECMO from 2017 to 2019. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included a composite of complications following initiation of V-A ECMO. We conducted Bayesian analyses of the relationship between increasing age and outcomes of interest. RESULTS: We included 15,172 patients receiving V-A ECMO. Of these, 8172 (53.9%) died in hospital. For the analysis conducted using weakly informed priors, and as compared to the reference category of age 18-29, the age bracket of 30-39 (odds ratio [OR] 0.94, 95% credible interval [CrI] 0.79-1.10) was not associated with hospital mortality, but age brackets 40-49 (odds ratio [OR] 1.26, 95% CrI: 1.08-1.47), 50-59 (OR 1.78, 95% CrI: 1.55-2.06), 60-69 (OR 2.24, 95% CrI: 1.94-2.59), 70-79 (OR 2.90, 95% CrI: 2.49-3.39) and ≥ 80 (OR 4.02, 95% CrI: 3.13-5.20) were independently associated with increasing hospital mortality. Similar results were found in the analysis conducted with an informative prior, as well as between increasing age and post-ECMO complications. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients receiving V-A ECMO for cardiogenic shock, increasing age is strongly associated with increasing odds of death and complications, and this association emerges as early as 40 years of age.

Perfluorocarbons in Research and Clinical Practice: A Narrative Review.

Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are organic liquids derived from hydrocarbons in which some of the hydrogen atoms have been replaced by fluorine atoms. They are chemically and biologically inert substances with a good safety profile. They are stable at room temperature, easy to store, and immiscible in water. Perfluorocarbons have been studied in biomedical research since 1960 for their unique properties as oxygen carriers. In particular, PFCs have been used for liquid ventilation in unusual environments such as deep-sea diving and simulations of zero gravity, and more recently for drug delivery and diagnostic imaging. Additionally, when delivered as emulsions, PFCs have been used as red blood cell substitutes. This narrative review will discuss the multifaceted utilization of PFCs in therapeutics, diagnostics, and research. We will specifically emphasize the potential role of PFCs as red blood cell substitutes, as airway mechanotransducers during artificial placenta procedures, as a means to improve donor organ perfusion during the ex vivo assessment, and as an adjunct in cancer therapies because of their ability to reduce local tissue hypoxia.

Patient and Management Variables Associated With Survival After Postcardiotomy Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Adults: The PELS-1 Multicenter Cohort Study.

Background Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been increasingly used for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock, but without a concomitant reduction in observed in-hospital mortality. Long-term outcomes are unknown. This study describes patients' characteristics, in-hospital outcome, and 10-year survival after postcardiotomy ECMO. Variables associated with in-hospital and postdischarge mortality are investigated and reported. Methods and Results The retrospective international multicenter observational PELS-1 (Postcardiotomy Extracorporeal Life Support) study includes data on adults requiring ECMO for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock between 2000 and 2020 from 34 centers. Variables associated with mortality were estimated preoperatively, intraoperatively, during ECMO, and after the occurrence of any complications, and then analyzed at different time points during a patient's clinical course, through mixed Cox proportional hazards models containing fixed and random effects. Follow-up was established by institutional chart review or contacting patients. This analysis included 2058 patients (59% were men; median [interquartile range] age, 65.0 [55.0-72.0] years). In-hospital mortality was 60.5%. Independent variables associated with in-hospital mortality were age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.02 [95% CI, 1.01-1.02]) and preoperative cardiac arrest (HR, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.15-1.73]). In the subgroup of hospital survivors, the overall 1-, 2-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 89.5% (95% CI, 87.0%-92.0%), 85.4% (95% CI, 82.5%-88.3%), 76.4% (95% CI, 72.5%-80.5%), and 65.9% (95% CI, 60.3%-72.0%), respectively. Variables associated with postdischarge mortality included older age, atrial fibrillation, emergency surgery, type of surgery, postoperative acute kidney injury, and postoperative septic shock. Conclusions In adults, in-hospital mortality after postcardiotomy ECMO remains high; however, two-thirds of those who are discharged from hospital survive up to 10 years. Patient selection, intraoperative decisions, and ECMO management remain key variables associated with survival in this cohort. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03857217.

On-Support and Postweaning Mortality in Postcardiotomy Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

BACKGROUND: Postcardiotomy venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) is characterized by discrepancies between weaning and survival-to-discharge rates. This study analyzes the differences between postcardiotomy VA ECMO patients who survived, died on ECMO, or died after ECMO weaning. Causes of death and variables associated with mortality at different time points are investigated. METHODS: The retrospective, multicenter, observational Postcardiotomy Extracorporeal Life Support Study (PELS) includes adults requiring postcardiotomy VA ECMO between 2000 and 2020. Variables associated with on-ECMO mortality and postweaning mortality were modeled using mixed Cox proportional hazards, including random effects for center and year. RESULTS: In 2058 patients (men, 59%; median age, 65 years; interquartile range [IQR], 55-72 years), weaning rate was 62.7%, and survival to discharge was 39.6%. Patients who died (n = 1244) included 754 on-ECMO deaths (36.6%; median support time, 79 hours; IQR, 24-192 hours), and 476 postweaning deaths (23.1%; median support time, 146 hours; IQR, 96-235.5 hours). Multiorgan (n = 431 of 1158 [37.2%]) and persistent heart failure (n = 423 of 1158 [36.5%]) were the main causes of death, followed by bleeding (n = 56 of 754 [7.4%]) for on-ECMO mortality and sepsis (n = 61 of 401 [15.4%]) for postweaning mortality. On-ECMO death was associated with emergency surgery, preoperative cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, right ventricular failure, cardiopulmonary bypass time, and ECMO implantation timing. Diabetes, postoperative bleeding, cardiac arrest, bowel ischemia, acute kidney injury, and septic shock were associated with postweaning mortality. CONCLUSIONS: A discrepancy exists between weaning and discharge rate in postcardiotomy ECMO. Deaths occurred during ECMO support in 36.6% of patients, mostly associated with unstable preoperative hemodynamics. Another 23.1% of patients died after weaning in association with severe complications. This underscores the importance of postweaning care for postcardiotomy VA ECMO patients.

Expert consensus statement on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ECMO for COVID-19 severe ARDS: an international Delphi study.

BACKGROUND: The high-quality evidence on managing COVID-19 patients requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support is insufficient. Furthermore, there is little consensus on allocating ECMO resources when scarce. The paucity of evidence and the need for guidance on controversial topics required an international expert consensus statement to understand the role of ECMO in COVID-19 better. Twenty-two international ECMO experts worldwide work together to interpret the most recent findings of the evolving published research, statement formulation, and voting to achieve consensus. OBJECTIVES: To guide the next generation of ECMO practitioners during future pandemics on tackling controversial topics pertaining to using ECMO for patients with COVID-19-related severe ARDS. METHODS: The scientific committee was assembled of five chairpersons with more than 5 years of ECMO experience and a critical care background. Their roles were modifying and restructuring the panel's questions and, assisting with statement formulation in addition to expert composition and literature review. Experts are identified based on their clinical experience with ECMO (minimum of 5 years) and previous academic activity on a global scale, with a focus on diversity in gender, geography, area of expertise, and level of seniority. We used the modified Delphi technique rounds and the nominal group technique (NGT) through three face-to-face meetings and the voting on the statement was conducted anonymously. The entire process was planned to be carried out in five phases: identifying the gap of knowledge, validation, statement formulation, voting, and drafting, respectively. RESULTS: In phase I, the scientific committee obtained 52 questions on controversial topics in ECMO for COVID-19, further reviewed for duplication and redundancy in phase II, resulting in nine domains with 32 questions with a validation rate exceeding 75% (Fig. 1). In phase III, 25 questions were used to formulate 14 statements, and six questions achieved no consensus on the statements. In phase IV, two voting rounds resulted in 14 statements that reached a consensus are included in four domains which are: patient selection, ECMO clinical management, operational and logistics management, and ethics. CONCLUSION: Three years after the onset of COVID-19, our understanding of the role of ECMO has evolved. However, it is incomplete. Tota14 statements achieved consensus; included in four domains discussing patient selection, clinical ECMO management, operational and logistic ECMO management and ethics to guide next-generation ECMO providers during future pandemic situations.